Jotaro and the rest of the Joestar crew are back for more in this latest volume of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures Part 3: Stardust Crusaders. So far, the quest to destroy the vile vampire DIO BRANDO has led them into airplane crashes, deadly boat-rides, blob-monsters and seafaring apes, but they’re finally on solid, dry ground again. DIO isn’t done though, and has sent some of his best Stand Users to put the last of the Joestars in shallow, sandy graves! 

So the bad news is that DIO’s hideout is still an entire continent away and that some of his best cards are already on the field. One of them is Centerfold, the Hanged Man Stand User who murdered Polnareff’s younger sister. And no one knows what any of them look like. But…um, the good news is that there are no more marine apes? 

It doesn’t help that Centerfold is a total sicko. While his supernatural abuse and murder was kind of a tipoff in that regard, everything about him from the moment you first see his Hanged Man Stand, just feels wrong. It’s no wonder that this scum’s working for DIO, or that his fight with Polnareff stretches well across the volume. I seriously love that he’s not one of the “end-bosses of this arc," because you shouldn’t have to wait for action like this! 

Yet while the battle with Centerfold is the high-point of this volume for MANY reasons, there’s a wonderful sense of paranoia lingering throughout. Like, where’s the next Stand User lurking in this lush, detailed backdrop? Which unique bit-player in this two-page spread is a deadly enemy? And remember, Stand Users don’t even need to be human! It gets downright nerve-wracking when you imagine that some supernatural killer might attack from the shadows with an ability that defies the laws of physics.

Still, we're here to watch the Joestar gang kicking butt around the world, so high tension just adds to the awesome, meaty flavor!

Also? I LOVE Centerfold’s partner Hol Horse--a self-styled wandering cowboy whose Stand, the Emperor, is a gun. He just tackles the rough-and-tumble cowboy stereotype so hard that you’re not sure whether to laugh or respect how far the takes it. And while he's a total dirt bag, Hol Horse is also pretty hard to hate! He gets to be the cover character of this volume for a reason. 

The art, of course, remains amazing. The amount of detail in the characters, backgrounds and costumes (even in the goofy moments) is top-notch, and there’s just so much detail conveyed through expert pen-markings, hatching and tone-etching. 

Also, this is JoJo and Stardust Crusaders is THE iconic arc; ergo, the dramatic flair has been ratcheted up to the extreme. When the characters ham it up (and when don’t they?) it’s both completely hilarious and endearing. The outrageous, improbable costumes, the mile-high 80’s hair, everything just feels weirdly natural. Yes, even the runway-model poses that everyone makes without provocation. 

This is the most epic Stardust Crusader volume so far, and like all the rest, it leaves you both satisfied and wanting more. Come for the battles! Come for the art! Come for the, dare I say it, bizarre adventures! Or at least come to watch the epic fight between a man and his own arm! 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Vol. 3 by Hirohiko Araki is available here!

by Chris Turner